DPP lawmaker blasts party factions for infighting

By Debby Wu / STAFF REPORTER

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in-fighting escalated as Central Evaluation Committee chairman and lawmaker Kao Jyh-peng (高志鵬), who is also the secretary-general of the Justice Alliance faction, yesterday urged all party factions to stop squabbling.

Kao further suggested that the party should create "anti-secession" regulations to discipline those who sound off to the media, while New Tide faction old guard Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) further said that President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) "one-line leadership" would hurt the party.

Kao suggested all factions establish a spokesman, and stop members from speaking at their own will and criticizing other factions in the media.

"The DPP does not belong to President Chen only, and all factions should be held responsible for the DPP administration. Are President Chen and Premier Yu Shyi-kun the only ones responsible for the failure in the legislative elections? Shouldn't party officials from other factions be held responsible too?" Kao said.

"If Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) has some suggestions to offer about national policies, he can try to become the director of the party's Policy Research and Coordinating Committee again, or speak up in the New Tide's policy meeting every Tuesday to discuss his opinions with New Tide government officials," he said.

Kao said that the Justice Alliance was not trying to suppress other factions.

But Lin said that the party's internal communication channels were useless and that was why he resigned from the Policy Research and Coordinating Committee.

"When I talk to the media, it hurts the interests of some people in the country, but if A-bian [Chen's nickname] continues his one-line leadership, it hurts the interests of the entire nation," Lin said.

Lin said that when Chen won the presidential election in 2000 he suggested that Chen should establish a policy-making mechanism to include an advisory team instead of only a single person, but Chen did not accept it.

"I have made many suggestions during my tenure as committee director, yet most of my suggestions were not accepted. That was why I decided to quit, but I find that there are still many public issues to be discussed, so that's why I decide to talk to the media about it," Lin said.

"I am really sorry to see that a serious national issue [Taiwan-US ties] has been degraded into a struggle among party factions," Lin said.

Lin was first involved in the in-fighting when he was criticized by his colleague, Justice Alliance lawmaker Lin Chung-mo (林重謨), for saying that US President George W. Bush hated Chen.